During a conference in Korea, LG Display's OLED technical strategy team leader Lim Joo-son said that the company's WRGB technology does not place any limits to the size of the OLED TVs they can make, and once the M2 goes into operation, the company will be able to produce 110" TVs.

LG Electronics 77-inch OLED TV prototype

LG also managed to increase the pixel density, and can now produce 8K (7680x4320) panels - but they admit that the smaller aperture in such panels limits the lifetime and they urgently need to develop longer lasting OLED materials.

Korean news site ETNews reports that Japanese makers (Sony and Panasonic, specifically) are negotiating OLED TV panel supply deals with LG Display. Both companies aim to develop picture quality improvement algorithms in house and aim to release the TVs by the end of 2014.

Sony and Panasonic halted their OLED TV joint development project in December 2013. While it was reported that both companies are still developing OLED TV technologies, it seems that if they want to enter the OLED TV market, they will have to buy the panels, and currently LG Display is the only maker with the capacity to actually supply such panels.

LG Display reported their financial results for Q1 2014 ($5.3 billion revenues, $90 million operating profit, $80 million net loss) and the company commented that the company still expects the new Gen-8 M2 OLED fab to start production in the second half of 2014 as planned. When the M2 fab will become online, LG Display aims to expand the OLED TV product line-up and will also expand the customer base (currently the company provides OLED TV panels to LG Electronics and Skyworth).

LG Display commented that the LCD industry entered the "slow growth phase", and so going forward, the company will convert existing LCD lines for LTPS and OLED production rather than building new fabs. LGD also says they want to expand their flexible OLED business - although they did not detail what they mean exactly beside saying that they will extend their Plastic OLED product lineup.

Researchers from Seoul National University developed a new algorithm that remaps gray levels in image pixels so the image consumes less power on an OLED display. The researchers say that this algorithm can save about 10% while actually enhancing the contrast by 9%. The algorithm is linear and can be applied in real-time to high resolution videos.

The algorithms analysis the histogram of the image and changes the gray levels while maintaining the contrast. The key idea is that a large number of gray levels are never used in the images and these gray levels can be effectively exploited to reduce power consumption. To maintain the contrast, the algorithm takes into account the object size in the image to which each gray level is applied - so it does not perform changes to large objects.

According to IHS, Samsung's Galaxy S5 costs about $256 to make, and the most expensive component is the 5.1" FHD Super AMOLED display which costs $63. That's actually cheaper than the 4.99" display on the GS4 which was estimated at $75 back in 2013 by IHS. In 2013, DisplaySearch estimated the GS4 display at just over $60.

According to reports from Korea towards the end of 2013, Samsung Electronics indeed asked Samsung Display to reduce its AMOLED prices in an effort to reduce smartphone costs (even though IHS esimates that the GS5 costs about $20 more than the GS4, even with the cheaper display). Then again it may simply be that DisplaySearch were correct and the $60 price remained the same even though the new display is a bit larger and performs a lot better.

Merck published an article on OLEDs in their Explorer Magazine, and in that article they reveal that AU Optronics is developing OLED ink-jet technologies with help from Merck.

AUO developed their own inkjet printer (with collaboration with suppliers), and they used it to develop a 14" printable OLED panel. Merck is working closely with AUO to supply them with soluble OLED materials. There's no word yet on how close this technology is for commercialization yet, and Merck did not reveal any details (or even a photo) of the 14" panel.

In April 2013 Sony showed a prototype 30" 4K OLED panels at NAB 2013, promising to release them in 2014. A couple of weeks ago at this year's NAB, Sony showed the panels again, this time as real product prototypes (and not just panels). The company still aims to deliver the 30" OLED monitors in 2014.

The 30" panels ofer 4K (4096x2160) resolution and will be made at Sony's Nagoya fab - the same fab that makes Sony's current 17" and 25" panels. The new product will be very similar to Sony's current PVM X300 4K, but with an OLED instead of the LCD.

A couple of week ago LG Chem showed several new OLED panels and luminaries at L+B 2014, and the company now released a nice video (apart from the somewhat annoying music) covering the event:

The video shows the new panels and luminaries, and also explains the benefits of OLED lighting. The video also shows the company's roadmap for the next few years.

Engadget posted a review of samsung's Gear Fit smartwatch, with its flexible (curved) 1.84" (432x128) Super AMOLED display. And they really love that display - it's beautiful, the curve feels natural and it's aesthetically pleasing. The colors are vibrant - and the only problem is that it's barely readable in sunlight unless you set it to "outdoor brightness mode".

But eventually the reviewer is not happy with this hybrid smartwatch and fitness band, due to the weak software and awkward UI. And they say that the $199 price is too much for this device.

I'm happy to announce the fourth edition of The OLED Handbook, the most comprehensive resource on OLED technology, industry and market - now updated for 2014. The OLED industry still grows and changes very fast, and the new edition include new details the OLED TVs and flexible OLEDs, in-depth look into encapsulation technologies and of course many updates on the OLED display and lighting markets. The book includes over 40 new companies and has a better organization.

Reading this book, you'll learn all about:

• OLED technology and materials and production processes
• How OLEDs compare to LCD and Plasma displays
• OLED TVs, flexible OLEDs and transparent OLEDs
• The OLED lighting industry
• The future of OLED displays and lighting and the challenges ahead